Another beautiful night to run...
I was going to take a break from exercise Thursday night but I was feeling restless. Tell me if any of you experience the same feeling, where your mind and body are telling you to rest yet you have this nervous energy and you know if you do not release it you are going to have a hard time focusing on anything (or sleeping later that night in my case)??
After debating with myself and knowing I would feel better afterwards, I took off at almost 8pm. I was worried darkness would set in before I returned home but I was rewarded with an amazing spectrum of colors following sunset (see picture above). Oops, I have gotten ahead of myself...
Although the end is the best part of this enterprise, it is hard to appreciate the evening's value without the full story. I was moving along the sidewalk next to the road staring at all the cracks and remembering the last time I ran in the dark on this busted up walkway - I was not paying attention, legs and feet heavy near the end of a long run, when a crack caught my shoe and I went airborne. I felt like a little kid, falling and skinning my knee less than a half mile from home, ha! Anyway, this was several years ago and the sidewalk is still crumpled up like a mini earthquake ruptured. Made me wonder when our tax dollars might fix this booby trap?!
As you can tell from the start of this venture, my mind was all over the place. I was trying to control the stream of thoughts bombarding my brain and hone in on writing a nice Father's Day post. My psyche had other ideas. I have learned not to swim against my inner tide and let my spirit go with the flow. In that moment of resolve, a quietness occurred. I lifted my head and began to explore the street I have run probably 100 times. It always amazes me how the time of day or running on the opposite side of the street can give a road a completely new appearance. I noticed a pond in this subdivision I had never seen and was baffled at how I could have missed it over the years.
Running and thinking is a tricky endeavor. I may start off running with thoughts of work overwhelming me or be on a quest for a solution to a problem or challenge. Other times, I try to distract myself with anything that comes to mind or be creative with ideas and conceptualizing. Whatever the original abstraction, it typically fades into the background with each footfall. I do not usually solve a problem or write a new hit song on the run, but the serenity that lingers after the exertion allows me to focus and see interests in a fresh light.
Back to it... I was settling into the evening and the experience and my mind slowly started firing again. This time my mental activity was not so frenzied and a theme began to emerge. I was thinking how my thoughts were out of control, then how life can feel out of control when the word "control" stuck in my head. I realized that running was my control. Just that night I was wishy washy and unsure what to do, but running made sense. To run is to take control. I decide how far I want to go, the path I want to pursue, solo or with a co-conspirator, fast, slow, etc. The common link is me. I am the constant. I am the control. This revelation put a spring in my step. I might not know my purpose in life or what to eat for dinner, but I can always go for a run.
My first mile this night was heavy but now the weight was lifted. I was singing along with my cheesy iPod pop songs and smiling at strangers passed along the way. The Safety Harbor Pier came into view and I did not want the sun to set! Barely a single wave rippled the water - I felt simpatico with the sea. Something about the water brings a calm to my soul. I never want to leave. I gathered strength from my fellow ocean admirers and reminded myself, I will return.
My smile and crooning carried me home to the gorgeous scene captured with a quick photo. What more can I say to the universe except, "Thanks"!
P.S. - happy Father's Day;)
I was going to take a break from exercise Thursday night but I was feeling restless. Tell me if any of you experience the same feeling, where your mind and body are telling you to rest yet you have this nervous energy and you know if you do not release it you are going to have a hard time focusing on anything (or sleeping later that night in my case)??
After debating with myself and knowing I would feel better afterwards, I took off at almost 8pm. I was worried darkness would set in before I returned home but I was rewarded with an amazing spectrum of colors following sunset (see picture above). Oops, I have gotten ahead of myself...
Although the end is the best part of this enterprise, it is hard to appreciate the evening's value without the full story. I was moving along the sidewalk next to the road staring at all the cracks and remembering the last time I ran in the dark on this busted up walkway - I was not paying attention, legs and feet heavy near the end of a long run, when a crack caught my shoe and I went airborne. I felt like a little kid, falling and skinning my knee less than a half mile from home, ha! Anyway, this was several years ago and the sidewalk is still crumpled up like a mini earthquake ruptured. Made me wonder when our tax dollars might fix this booby trap?!
As you can tell from the start of this venture, my mind was all over the place. I was trying to control the stream of thoughts bombarding my brain and hone in on writing a nice Father's Day post. My psyche had other ideas. I have learned not to swim against my inner tide and let my spirit go with the flow. In that moment of resolve, a quietness occurred. I lifted my head and began to explore the street I have run probably 100 times. It always amazes me how the time of day or running on the opposite side of the street can give a road a completely new appearance. I noticed a pond in this subdivision I had never seen and was baffled at how I could have missed it over the years.
Running and thinking is a tricky endeavor. I may start off running with thoughts of work overwhelming me or be on a quest for a solution to a problem or challenge. Other times, I try to distract myself with anything that comes to mind or be creative with ideas and conceptualizing. Whatever the original abstraction, it typically fades into the background with each footfall. I do not usually solve a problem or write a new hit song on the run, but the serenity that lingers after the exertion allows me to focus and see interests in a fresh light.
Back to it... I was settling into the evening and the experience and my mind slowly started firing again. This time my mental activity was not so frenzied and a theme began to emerge. I was thinking how my thoughts were out of control, then how life can feel out of control when the word "control" stuck in my head. I realized that running was my control. Just that night I was wishy washy and unsure what to do, but running made sense. To run is to take control. I decide how far I want to go, the path I want to pursue, solo or with a co-conspirator, fast, slow, etc. The common link is me. I am the constant. I am the control. This revelation put a spring in my step. I might not know my purpose in life or what to eat for dinner, but I can always go for a run.
My first mile this night was heavy but now the weight was lifted. I was singing along with my cheesy iPod pop songs and smiling at strangers passed along the way. The Safety Harbor Pier came into view and I did not want the sun to set! Barely a single wave rippled the water - I felt simpatico with the sea. Something about the water brings a calm to my soul. I never want to leave. I gathered strength from my fellow ocean admirers and reminded myself, I will return.
My smile and crooning carried me home to the gorgeous scene captured with a quick photo. What more can I say to the universe except, "Thanks"!
P.S. - happy Father's Day;)
No comments:
Post a Comment